That's true, but creative people find their fuel in different places. Some simply tap into the joy of discovery like a child all their lives. Then they pragmatically deal with the drudgery side of the business. Others are driven by their demons.

As you intimated, plenty have gone off the rails to live up to the clichés, but scratch the surface and you'll find some dark stuff that prevents them from seeing the folly of what they're doing.

DED, where's that thread?? :)

Agree with Larry - good pickup.

Good points. People with self-destructive urges, I've noticed, tend to produce a certain kind of work. Those urges color their creativity and they've produced some very enduring art that way.